For thousands of years, the buffalo or plains bison (Bison bison) sustained the many native tribes that inhabited the Great Plains region of North America.

However, after the arrival of Europeans the bison and indigenous way of life were nearly exterminated. In recent years, the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Montana's Fort Peck Reservation have joined with other tribal groups throughout the Northern Great Plains to bring bison back to their ancestral lands and into their lives.

World Wildlife Fund worked with award-winning filmmakers from Day’s Edge Productions and animator Ruth Lichtman to create a unique animated film that is both engaging and suitable for audiences of all ages. One of the primary audiences for the film will be young Native Americans who may not be aware of the history of the bison’s demise and how their community leaders are working diligently for its return.

The Fort Peck Reservation is home to two separate Indian nations, each composed of numerous bands and divisions.

The Sioux divisions of Sisseton, Wahpetons, the Yanktonais, and the Teton Hunkpapa are all represented.

The Assiniboine bands of Canoe Paddler and Red Bottom are represented.

The Reservation is located in the extreme northeast corner of Montana, on the north side of the Missouri River.

Yellowstone bison are the true descendants of the massive wild herds, totaling up to 30 million, which roamed the West over a century ago. By the late 1890s, only 1,000 bison remained in North America, and most of these animals were held on private ranches and carried traces of breeding experiments with cattle. Fewer than 25 wild bison remained in Yellowstone by 1902 – reduced by illegal hunting from fewer than 200 in the 1890s.